Tempers flared in the first Los Angeles Dodgers-Houston Astros match since an offseason of fallout from Houstons 2017 sign-stealing scandal– and Joe Kelly, a Dodgers reducer who was not part of that seasons World Series between the two teams, was at the center of everything.
If you believed the Dodgers were going to simply move past that World Series loss when they took the field Tuesday night, Joc Pedersons Instagram story must have been enough to let you understand it was still very much on their minds.
When the Los Angeles group plane landed in Houston, Pederson posted a photo of him and his teammates making their method down the steps on the tarmac with a one-word caption:
” Bangggg.”.
1 Related” Bangggg,” as in even during a pandemic and in front of an empty stadium, they havent forgotten the sign-stealing scandal, the garbage can bangs, or the 2017 World Series banner they feel would be hanging at Dodger Stadium rather of at Minute Maid Park if not for Houstons disobediences.
Pederson doubled down by saying, “Theyre not cheating their way to arrive,” when he was asked if the 2020 World Series champion need to have an asterisk next to its name after playing a shortened season.
However for the first 5 1/2 innings of Tuesday nights 5-2 L.A. success, Dodgers-Astros played out quietly, just like any other video game in this 2020 season. And then, in the bottom of the 6th– Bangggg!– it was on.
Heres what took place in that inning sustained by Kellys wildness, some high-and-tight pitches, heated words that TV electronic cameras got clearly without fans to drown them out … and three years of bottled-up anger.
Balls escape sometimes– but not that many.
Owner of a 1.38 profession WHIP and a viral offseason video in which he broke his bed room window with an errant pitch, Kelly isnt exactly understood for his control. After Jose Altuve popped out, absolutely nothing seemed out of the normal when Kelly fell behind Alex Bregman 3-0 on pitches that missed on both sides of the strike zone, consisting of 2 breaking balls.
When that 3-0 pitch left Kellys hand in the type of a 96 miles per hour fastball just over Bregmans head, the state of mind altered quickly as Kelly let out a demonstrative yawn from the mound while the Astros 3rd baseman squatted to prevent getting hit.
After the video game, Kelly rejected any intent on the pitch, saying, “My precision isnt the best,” and that the inside fastball “wasnt my finest pitch.”.
Astros manager Dusty Baker used a different take after the video game: “Balls escape in some cases– however not that lots of in the major leagues. When you throw a 3-0 fastball over a persons head, now youre flirting with ending his career.”.
Words in the beginning base: Just get on the mound, little f– er.
Next up for the Astros was Michael Brantley, who, like Kelly, was not a part of that 2017 World Series match between Houston and L.A. Brantley was on a Cleveland group that lost to the Yankees in the American League Division Series; Kellys Red Sox were eliminated by, you thought it, the Astros because exact same round.
With the stands empty this year, MLB fans will miss out on an important– and historically significant– opportunity. Sam Miller “.
The at-bat played out quietly at the plate, with Kelly tossing 3 straight knuckle curves and Brantley slapping the third offering to Dodgers initially baseman Max Muncy. Things warmed up rapidly with Kelly covering very first base and Brantley running hard to avoid the potential double play.
In his stretch to cover the bag, Kelly left his best leg over the front of the base and Brantleys foot clipped it as he ran by. No damage, no nasty–? Not rather. Kelly seemed to complain the contact and glared at Brantley from near very first base.
And heres when a very 2020 moment entered into play: As Kelly looked out at Brantley, the words “just get on the mound, little f– er” echoed from the Astros dugout, clear enough to be heard on the television broadcast and certainly by Kelly on the field.
OK, maybe Kelly really was simply wild.
After a sluggish walk back, Kelly did, indeed, get on the mound to deal with Yuli Gurriel. And everything, other than Kellys control, seemed to have settled down. Kelly walked Gurriel on 4 pitches, but none of the 4 appeared deliberate: He started with a fastball high over the center of the plate, followed by another fastball up. A 3rd pitch came inside and sent Gurriel scrambling out of the method– but it was an 86 mph curveball– and, lastly, Kelly tossed a 3-0 fastball that missed out on up.
Gurriel tossed his bat, eliminated his padding and gradually made his method down to very first base. Everyone seemed calm.
Brouhaha averted, right? Not so quick.
Correa vs. Kelly: A new meme is born.
Benches didnt clear when Joe Kelly threw a pitch clear over Carlos Correas head– they cleared after the at-bat, when Kellys GIF-worthy facial expressions resulted in a heated exchange. AP Photo/David J. PhillipWith two outs in the inning, Kelly began the at-bat by throwing an errant breaking ball over the head of Carlos Correa– among the 2017 Astros who has actually been most vocal during the sign-stealing fallout and also the owner of a second-inning crowning achievement off starter Walker Buehler. Correa reacted by eliminating his helmet, cleaning his eyebrow and stepping back in for the next pitch, and Kelly appeared to state absolutely nothing as he ran in to cover home and obtain the ball.
Things were still calm … for the time being. With a 2-2 count, Correa was a couple of feet from having this all play out really differently when he laced a ball just nasty down the left-field line, prior to setting out with a poor swing at an 88 miles per hour curveball that dipped out of the strike zone.
Kelly, according to Baker, provided his own review of Correas swing as they made their way off the field, shouting, “Nice swing, b–” while making a mocking pouty face that quickly became a web experience.
A (somewhat) socially distanced bench-clearing minute.
And it was on. At least about as on as it can be with supervisors, umpires and players mixing in some social distancing while hurrying toward each other and exchanging heated words outside the Dodgers dugout.
Heres what stood apart throughout this first benches-clearing scene of 2020:.
Kelly appeared to take exception to the contact and glared at Brantley from near first base.
A 3rd pitch came within and sent out Gurriel scrambling out of the way– but it was an 86 mph curveball– and, finally, Kelly tossed a 3-0 fastball that missed out on up.
AP Photo/David J. PhillipWith two outs in the inning, Kelly began the at-bat by tossing an errant breaking ball over the head of Carlos Correa– one of the 2017 Astros who has been most singing during the sign-stealing fallout and also the owner of a second-inning house run off starter Walker Buehler. Correa responded by eliminating his helmet, wiping his eyebrow and stepping back in for the next pitch, and Kelly appeared to say nothing as he ran in to cover home and retrieve the ball.
And this isnt the first time Ive seen Joe Kelly in a skirmish like this, so they need to talk to their own guys.
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Sporting masks, Astros coaches rapidly got in between Correa, Gurriel, Josh Reddick and other Houston gamers making their method toward Kelly.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts presumed a comparable stance with his mask on from the L.A. side of the dustup, standing straight between Pederson and the Astros with his arms held out.
In an only-in-2020 scene, All-Stars Muncy and Altuve were face-to-face a few feet apart, with Altuve sporting a mask and Muncy not using his.
In an even more only-in-2020 scene, cardboard cutouts might be seen smiling stationary from Houstons Crawford Boxes in the background throughout the run-in.
As everyone else left the field in between innings, Baker and the umpires were masked throughout a heated conversation about the Astros being cautioned– and the Dodgers not being alerted– following the event.
Jeff Passan and Eduardo Perez go over whether Joe Kelly might deal with discipline from MLB after he threw at multiple Astros.
Next up: Round 2.
As tempers flared, the Astros and Dodgers remained (mainly) socially distanced. Bob Levey/Getty ImagesSo where will things go from here? Well, the Dodgers and Astros take the field once again Wednesday night (7 ET on ESPN), with Dustin May and Cristian Javier scheduled to take the mound. Will we see another heated exchange like Tuesdays 6th inning brought?
” Well, this is the very first time,” Baker said after the game, when asked if this would be a continuing concern all season for his Astros. And this isnt the first time Ive seen Joe Kelly in a skirmish like this, so they require to talk to their own people.
” We dont begin nothing, but we dont take nothing, either.”.
